Is Immigration About Jobs, Humans Or Business?
By Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez
Austin, Texas — A diversity of thought and ideas about the economics of immigration reform informed a panel Sunday at the Texas Tribune Festival. The panel consisted of Texas State Representative Aaron Peña of Edinburg, the Senior Vice President of IBC Bank Eddie Aldrete, the CEO of Communicard Sylvia Acevedo and the Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples.
The first question was: What works and what doesn’t in our current immigration system?
Commissioner Staples said the while “American jobs need to be prioritized,” the system is outdated in that it is “not market-based, but quota-based.” Aldrete went on to say that the typical reaction of calling for more “boots on the ground” and more border security was akin to “asking for more mops when the water pipe just broke.”
Acevedo took a more humanitarian perspective, stressing that extraordinary human capital is not being considered amidst the volatile rhetoric. “We have a young bilingual and bicultural population; that is a huge competitive advantage in the global economy,” she said.
All panel members were in agreement that our current system is failing and needs a complete overhaul. Furthermore, they all bemoaned the inability of our political class to have the discussions necessary to progress the issue. Peña said that the label of “racism” is thrown around too eagerly while Staples argued that when paths to citizenship are introduced, “the discussion derails immediately.”
NewsTaco directed a question to all panel members: Understanding the enormous potential this bicultural community has to offer, what polices would you propose to activate them into entrepreneurial actors?
Commissioner Staples said that was an important issue, Peña noted that it’s one that politicians usually don’t want to address. Finally, Aldrete argued that the business community could play an integral role and that “President Obama should call a commission” to discuss the potential of the human capital Latinos in America.
